Chapter 8 Social Concern and the Assemblies of God in Myanmar
In: Asia Pacific PentecostalismSearch for other papers by Saw Tint Sann Oo in
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While scholars have explored the history of the Assemblies of God of Myanmar (agm) extensively, little attention has focused on the area of social concern. As with many Pentecostal movements around the world, agm Christians in Myanmar wittingly or unwittingly have historically been sceptical about social involvement. Many of the doctrines from missionaries stemmed from a pre-millennial eschatology, wariness of the social gospel and emphasis on evangelism that all combined to suppress any attempts at community development. Therefore, early Pentecostals did little more than the expected cultural contributions to local communities. However, major political upheaval led to spiralling economic hardship and a parallel reversal in agm teaching. Many agm churches across the country opened preschools, schools and children’s homes. A key turning point came when agm introduced a community development programme in partnership with an international agency. Today, the proliferation of social ministries of agm churches suggests that attitudes toward the concept of social responsibility of the church have completely transformed. Indeed, many agm Christians have come to embrace the idea of holistic ministry, which emphasises both spiritual and social aspects of the ministry.